Investigates the effect of collaboration on problem-solving performance and learning in the context of a complex, video-based mathematics problem. High-achieving 6th-grade students (N=96) were assigned to collaborative or individual problem-solving conditions. Results reveal that students in the collaborative condition outperformed students in the…

Describes a cooperative learning project that taps into students' energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to present information to the class about a disease. (ASK)

Studied whether the performance and attitudes of students could be improved by giving them some control over the group selection process in cooperative learning. Results with 110 college students show that student attitudes toward the cooperative learning experience were better and their grades were higher when they were allowed to choose a friend…

Suggests the use of the cooperative learning approach for better student understanding and describes current teaching trends which have students working alone and in subtle competition. First published in 1987. (YDS)

Argues that expert teaching can be distinguished from novice teaching by strategic use of a variety of classroom arrangements. Discusses didactic structure, individual tutorial, individual task structure, cooperative group structure, and collaborative group structure classroom arrangements. (DDR)

Describes the collaborative literacy activity that occurred in one teacher's sociodramatic play center in a multi-age classroom (K-2) and a kindergarten classroom. Finds the children in the multi-age group engaged in a larger amount and a broader range of collaborative literacy activities than did the kindergartners; and the collaborative…

First-year engineering students at Robert Gordon University (Scotland) were presented with a task-oriented induction program. Students were divided into groups and assigned a facilitator, later personal tutor, to whom they could refer. Student reaction to the experience was very favorable. Effect on progression rates is yet to be determined. (AEF)

Suggests that teachers can use a number of strategies to cope with the daily challenges of teaching and increase their effectiveness in an inclusive environment. Discusses using peer tutors, implementing cooperative learning, and applying reverse-inclusion techniques to provide successful learning for all students. (RS)

Explores antecedents and consequences of interdependence development when undergraduates (n=65) learning in groups were provided with little guidance on how to work together effectively. Finds previous class group work and out-of-class experiences contributed to development of goal, resource, and role interdependence among group members. Concludes…

Investigates whether and how peer collaboration facilitated students' problem solving in physics. Finds that students' success was due to how they interacted and whether and how they invoked the relevant physics principles. (Author/CCM)

Innovative teaching methods such as collaborative learning, teamwork, and mind maps were introduced to teach computer science and statistics courses at a South African university. Soft systems methodology was adapted and used to manage the research process of evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching methods. This research method provided proof…

Describes in detail the design and implementation of a collaborative learning project in a Constitutional law class, then uses education and social science research to explore how best to create and implement a collaborative learning project. Relates the research to the experience of the class project. (EV)

Investigated whether student engagement in three good educational practices (cooperation with peers, active learning, faculty-student interaction) increased between 1983 and 1997 in response to the calls to improve the quality of undergraduate education in the United States. Found that the frequency of involvement in these good practices did not…

Reports the development, delivery, and assessment of a project-based spiral curriculum for the first sequence chemical engineering courses. Technical proficiency of students under the spiral curriculum was equal to or better than that of students under a traditional curriculum. Attitudes toward chemical engineering and teamwork were better, and…

Inclusive education is here to stay. However, teachers remain fearful of their ability to deliver and assess curriculum and related activities for a diverse population of students. Current literature suggests that effective classroom planning includes four activities: a focus on planning to prompt and sustain student on-task behavior; an…